National Museum of Qatar

National Museum of Qatar
Construction of National Museum of Qatar in 2015
Established scheduled 1 December 2018 (2018-12-01)
Location Doha, Qatar
Type Art Museum
Director Sheikha Amna bint Abdulaziz bin Jassim Al-Thani
Owner Qatar Museums
Website www.qm.org.qa/en/project/national-museum-qatar

The National Museum of Qatar is a museum currently under construction, located across from the Corniche in the Qatari capital Doha. The building, which is being constructed in place of the Qatar National Museum, was designed by architect Jean Nouvel. It was originally scheduled to open in 2016[1] but its opening was pushed back to December 2018.[2]

The new under-construction National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ) features an innovative design by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel that is inspired by the desert rose and grows organically around the original 20th century palace of Sheikh Abdullah Bin Jassim Al Thani. The historic Palace was restored by Berlin-based Architecture and Engineering firm Ziegert | Roswag | Seiler Architekten Ingenieure. This important monument to Qatar’s past is now preserved as the heart of the new NMoQ.[3] The relation between the new and old building is part of creating the bridge between the past and the present advocated by Sheikha Al Mayassa for it is the way to "define ourselves instead of forever being defined by others […]" and "celebrating our identity." [4]

The 430,000 square feet (40,000 m2) museum is created by a series of interlocking discs that create cavities to protect visitors from the desert heat.[5] Located on a 1.5 million-square-foot site at the south end of Doha’s Corniche, the NMoQ building will rise from the sea and will be connected to shore by two pedestrian bridges and a vehicular bridge.

Contractor

The main building is contracted to Hyundai E&C in 2011. The project involves the construction of the new National Museum situated next to the existing Qatar National Museum which is located across from the Corniche in the Qatari capital Doha, Qatar. The museum will be designed according to the Bedouin tradition of Qatar. It will include a building that will have the design of the desert rose and a 1.2 million square foot landscaped park. The project also includes an 115,000-square meter park with an artificial lagoon and parking spaces for 400 vehicles, a 220 seat auditorium, a research center, laboratories, a dedicated food forum, two restaurants, a café and a museum shop.

Collection

A tour of the future museum will take visitors through a loop of galleries that address three major, interrelated themes. The galleries will be loosely arranged in chronological order, beginning with exhibitions on the natural history of the desert and the Persian Gulf, artifacts from Bedouin culture, historical exhibitions on the tribal wars and the establishment of the Qatari state, and finally the discovery of oil to the present.[6] The displays and installations that explore these themes will integrate exciting and involving audiovisual displays with carefully selected treasures from the museum’s collections. These collections currently consist of approximately 8,000 objects and include archaeological artefacts, architectural elements, heritage household and traveling objects, textiles and costumes, jewellery, decorative arts, books and historical documents.[7]

The museum's mission will be to celebrate the culture, heritage and future of Qatar and its people, embodying the pride and traditions of Qataris while offering international visitors a dialogue about rapid change and modernization.[8]

References

  1. ↑ Shabina S. Khatri (6 July 2014). "Qatar's National Museum eyeing 2016 opening". Doha News. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  2. ↑ "Qatar's national museum by Jean Nouvel opening date announced". Building Construction Design. 21 June 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  3. ↑ National Museum of Qatar Archived 2013-05-12 at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ↑ Hanley, D.C. "A Desert Rose takes shape: plans for National Museum of Qatar Unveiled". Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. 4. 29: 32–33.
  5. ↑ Take a first look at the upcoming Qatar National Museum, 28 July 2011
  6. ↑ Celebrating the Delicate Beauty of the Desert Landscape by NICOLAI OUROUSSOFF in The New York Times, 22 March 2010
  7. ↑ Qatar Museums Authority Unveils Jean Nouvel Design for New Museum in the ArtDaily
  8. ↑ New Qatar National Museum…a journey in a world of fantasy!

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